It’s been nearly 30 years since I made the move to Oak Harbor in 1977. My how things have changed. When I first came here the only fast food restaurants were Kow Korner and Arctic Circle. At age 16 I was quite dismayed to learn I’d moved to a town with no Burgar King, no McDonald’s!

Arctic Circle soon closed its doors and for a bit things stood still.

Then progress happened and fast food chains began to arrive. Back in these early days of my residence here we also had Copeland Lumber and Paul Bunyan Lumber. They have long since closed their doors with the larger chain store arrivals. But one place I’ve been able to depend on for as long as I can remember now is Ace Hardware. With the arrival of Home Depot, I fear Oak Harbor could lose one of its finest businesses.

Don’t get me wrong; progress happens and I enjoy Home Depot as much as anyone else. Even the customer service at Home Depot is pretty good. But there is nothing that can compare to Ace Hardware’s service. So many times I’ve needed something odd that Ace did not carry and they did not send me elsewhere. They checked their books, if available made a special order. When my special order arrived, they gave me a courtesy call advising such. They allowed returns on special orders just like any other purchase.

One of the things that has struck me most recently is how many of the little things Ace carries that are not at Home Depot. I enjoy both stores and believe there is a place for them both. So, Island County residents, remember this town didn’t once have what it has today. If you’re restricting your shopping experience to the larger stores, give some of our old time stores a look. You might find yourself amazed at what they carry. I hope Ace Hardware will be here for as long as Oak Harbor is. I hope those that Ace has been loyal to all these years will return the loyalty in kind.

Wendy Cramer

Oak Harbor